Deckhands
by The Original Hansenette
Summary: When a new deckhand appears on the Northwestern, it spells trouble for the deckboss and his apprentice. Happy fishing... **Deadliest Catch** NO OCs.
1. The New Guy

The New Guy

Sig Hansen ran his hands though his tousled blonde hair with a loud sigh. His youngest brother sat in the wheelhouse with him, foot bouncing off the wooden panel in front of him.  
"Well, it's YOUR fault for wanting a new deckhand so close to the start of the season." Edgar huffed, side glancing his older brother whilst keeping up the constant rhythm of his tapping. Sig turned to face the deck boss. Edgar smirked at Sig's murderous expression.  
"No, it's YOUR fault for driving them all away!" Sig yelled at his brother who tossed his head.  
"Yeah, well, they weren't experienced enough."  
"The last guy had worked on a boat for 16 years!"  
"Yeah, but he's employed. On another boat. And he stank." Edgar grinned.  
"How do you know that?"  
"Well, I used my nose and-"  
"Not that. That he was employed." Sig asked, desperation kicking in. Why, oh why, had Nick decided to stay at home this season? Why did the only other normal person on the whole damn boat leave him with the silent one, the one with anger management issues, the pyromaniac and the pyromaniac's apprentice? With a space to fill? When his brother was OBVIOUSLY trying to get Sig in trouble with the police. Or at least he will be when he has brutally murdered Edgar and kicked him out to sea.  
"Well, dear brother, he told me all about the boat he worked on. Yesterday. Whilst he was sober. Not pissed like he was just there." Edgar waved a hand and returned to look out the window. Sig felt like bashing his head against the window. A lot. When an answer came to him. Sig looked over at his brother, eyes glinting and narrow. Edgar blinked and inwardly swore. Loudly.  
"Edgar, if you say ANYTHING in the next interview, I will give Andy and Jon your baby photos! Even the one with you stuck in the tree!" Edgar's eyes widened. Sig wouldn't dare. Edgar was a sweet baby. An adorable baby. And his mother had taken LOTS of photos of him and a lot of them were hard for the hardened, tough deckhand to admit too. As Edgar, as a young child, had very cute curly hair and chubby cheeks. The whole shebang. He did NOT need the Time Bandit getting their devious little hands on those photos and blasting them to the fleet and to the show directors.  
"Fine. Not one word. Even though the next guy will probably be some psycho knowing our luck..." Sig shushed him as the next guy came in. He was tall, taller than Edgar at least. Edgar crossed his arms. He wasn't short. Everyone else was just...tall. He had tattoos on his right arm, a piercing in his right earlobe and a short buzz cut. Edgar turned to his brother the word "NO" clearly written across his face. The deck boss had a bad feeling about this guy. Right in his gut. Last time he had a feeling like this, he got sideswiped by a rouge pot. Edgar gave his brother an appealing "don't hire him or I will END both of you" face. Sig raised one eyebrow and lifted a pen drive threateningly. Of course, Sig would HAVE to have a hard copy of his blackmail on him at all times. Asshole. Edgar froze, poked his tongue out at the captain and turned to glare at the deck hand wannabe. The man coolly looked at Edgar and dismissed him quickly with an air of superiority, turning to the captain. _"Asshole." _Edgar thought and gave him the finger when his back was turned.  
"Hi there, you applying for the place?" Sig asked, clearly ignoring his brother and giving the guy a shot. The prospective deckhand grinned in response.  
"That's the plan. I'm Daniel Havers. Nice to meet you, Captain Sig." Edgar snorted at the "captain". He never called Sig "captain". No one did. Because they didn't want to inflate his ego and make him think it was OK to make them for hours on end. Daniel turned quickly and glared at Edgar like he had killed his first born child. Edgar raised an eyebrow, grabbed a note pad and wrote, in large letters; "_PUT DOWN THE GUN, DUDE." _Sig rolled his eyes and gestured to the door. Edgar forced back a cough and shook his head.  
"Edgar, get the fuck outta here or I swear to God, I will kill you." Sig stated in a flat voice.  
_"How?" _Edgar scribbled quickly and held up his notepad._  
_"Why is that so damn important to you?" Sig asked, rubbing his face with his calloused palms. Edgar shrugged and replied; _"I'm intrigued." _  
"I will chop you into little pieces and hide your body bits in the bait boxes so that when Junior goes to put it through the baiter, he's cutting you into teeny tiny bite sized chunks." Sig answered, monotonously. Edgar looked at him for a while.  
_"Fair enough." _And with that, the deck boss lifted himself out of the chair and hopped down the stairs to go find Norman. Daniel looked at him, sneering.  
"And if you get this job, he is the one you'll have to deal with on deck." Sig said with a sigh. Daniel looked confused.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, Ed is the deck boss so what he says, goes, I guess. If you're in trouble, he's the guy you want on your deck." Daniel looked shocked. That _insolent little idiot _was going to have a higher ranking than him? Was going to be ordering him around? Was going to be in charge? Daniel was bad at taking orders anyway but from someone so immature? So childish? It was absurd. The possible deckhand looked out the window to watch Edgar meet Jake to see where Norman was. It wasn't hard to see that the two got along. But when Jake began to laugh at something Edgar had said, Havers noticed how Edgar almost looked after the younger man. Like brothers. Havers started to plot within his mind. He needed this job but taking orders from someone other than the captain was going to be hard for him. Unless he found some way of scaring the deck boss off. And he knew exactly how to do it.  
"So how long have you been fishing for, Daniel?"

...

"I'm telling you, Norm! He's not good! I just know it!" Edgar whined to his older sibling who just looked at him. Norman sighed and picked up Edgar's mug of coffee.  
"Uh, Norman?"  
"I'm trying to figure out who drugged you this time." The middle brother answered, deadpan. Edgar glared at Norman and grabbed his mug back.  
"Oh, ha ha. I'm not kidding! That guy is bad news. I just know it." Edgar slumped over, his gut feeling kicking in, gnawing away at his mind. He knew this was going to be bad. He also knew that Sig wouldn't believe him. Edgar felt a pang of worry when he saw how Daniel looked at Jake. And at himself. He didn't like that look at all. Jake's was one filled with dangerous intent and the one he received was one of mocking and also one of a hungry hyena before it munched on a lone animal. Edgar did not want to be the little lone animal. He liked staying intact. And alive. Edgar bit his lip as Sig told him and Norman that Daniel had gotten the job. This was bad. This was going to be a disastrous trip, Edgar knew it from every single fibre in his body.

...

**Oh, new story! Again Deadliest Catch but I am a total Hansenette so that can be expected. ;) More Edgar!Whump on the way, guys and no OCs apart from Daniel on the horizon. Do me one favour and REVIEW for meh! Cos I love you all sooooo much.**

****Disclaimer** Dude, if I actually owned Deadliest Catch I would be one happy dude. If I owned the Hansens, I'm pretty sure I would be convicted for slavery. Last time I checked, I wasn't in court for anything to do with slavery so, rest assured, I do not own anything here you recognise.**

"**Pssh, The Great Imaginary Bob does not approve of your shenanigans." **

**Elli x**


	2. Tensions

So, the season was about to start. Edgar was sitting in the bar, as per tradition but he was not having fun. He was most definitely not having fun. Sig had ridiculed his gut feeling, saying he was just sour Nick wasn't coming along this season. Pha. Well, maybe Edgar was a bit annoyed that Mavar was slinking off to Seattle while he was in Alaska. With Junior. And a crazy psycho. Who really didn't like him. Whom he would be sharing a boat with for the next couple of days. Ah, happy days. He was sat between Jake and Sig who were both kind of tipsy. Edgar wasn't really drinking, he wasn't in the mood at all. The youngest Hansen sighed heavily and made his way outside into the biting Alaskan night. Sig looked after him, frown in place. Edgar had seemed so out of it lately. The captain looked at his brother and had noticed how worried and nervous he was acting. At was as if Edgar Hansen, he of recklessness and "I can so fix this with duct tape", was worried about something for the first time ever. And this worried his older brother. A lot. But Sig just pushed it aside for the time being. Edgar was old enough to handle his own problems. And if it got too bad, well, Sig Hansen would never take anyone hurting Ed lying down.

Edgar made his way back to the Northwestern, cigarette planted in his mouth firmly. The little stick was making a spiral of smoke in front of the deck boss but he wasn't too concerned about it. What did concern him was what he was going to do about Havers. Edgar sighed deeply, eyes squinting in the darkness. Finding the Northwestern wasn't hard. It was one of the only boats on the fleet that was white and the front wheel house was something of a rarity. It was the light on in the boat that Edgar was concerned about. Most of the crew were at the bar apart from himself and Daniel Havers. The deck boss growled underneath his breath and cursed his brother vividly for hiring a crazy. Hopping over the side of the boat, Edgar made his way into the galley after making sure Havers wasn't on the deck in the dark. As much as he didn't like the guy, he didn't want him to fall and hurt himself or go AWOL off the side and drown. He looked out for that and for an attempted murder. The youngest Hansen stood in the kitchen for a second, listening out for any give away of Havers' position. A soft scuff from upstairs told Edgar all he needed to know. He pulled himself up the stairs to see the new deckhand sitting in Sig's chair, eyes locked on the stairs. Edgar felt the force of the dark glare burn but that didn't stop him meeting Havers' eyes. Daniel sneered, his lip curling harshly.

"So. I hear you got the job." Edgar offered quietly, eyes unblinking under Daniel's stare.

"You heard right, mutt." Daniel growled back, eyes flashing as he spat out the last word. Edgar raised his eyebrows at the name but thought nothing of it. It wasn't if he had been called anything bad before in his life. In fact, Sig had used the endearment "freak" when referring to Edgar most of their youth.

"Congrats, I guess. My name's Edgar Hansen, Sig's brother. I'm the deck boss so you'll be working with me." Edgar had only just gotten out the last sentence before Daniel had gotten to his feet and pinned Edgar against the wall behind him, crossing the room in seconds. Edgar growled at Daniel, pushing at the bulk that had him pressed against the wall. Daniel grinned for the first time, a smile tainted with harshness. Daniel grabbed Edgar's hands and pinned them above his head, rendering the smaller man helpless. The taller man leaned in towards Edgar, inches from his face.

"Listen here, mutt. I need this job. I need it more than you can fucking imagine. I'll take orders from the captain fair enough. But I am not going to take orders from you. You are stupid, childish and completely irresponsible-"

"I do try. Let me go, you bastard, or I swear to God, I will-" Edgar struggled against the iron grip on his wrists to no avail. He did not like this feeling of helplessness. He wasn't used to it. His brothers used to pin him down all the time and, even now, pulled his arms behind his back to annoy him but that was play fighting. This wasn't. This was real anger and threats behind the violence. And Edgar didn't like it one bit.

"That younger deckhand means a lot to you, doesn't he?" Edgar froze, flashes of Jake and Matt flashing through his mind. "Jake...An...Anderson, was it?" The youngest Hansen winced as Daniel chuckled darkly. "You treat him like a brother, no? Don't lie. I've seen the show before and how you comforted him when he sliced his wrist." Edgar flinched as Daniel dug his nails into Edgar's own wrists. "What would you do if he got...hurt again, hmm? What if it was all your fault?" Havers' voice dropped to a low hiss as he uttered the last sentence.

"I swear to God, if you hurt him in anyway, I'll..."

"You'll what? Punch me? Kick me? Mutt, I have you in a locked position right now and I'm not even breaking a sweat. You think you could cause me any harm in a **fight**?" Edgar's breathing hitched as the mad man twisted his left arm in a way it should never go. He had no choice but to sit it out. Daniel had him pressed against a wall in a corner, hands trapped and alone on the boat. Edgar's eyes flitted towards Sig's captain chair, a universal sign of order. In this case, safety. Daniel followed his gaze and laughed in his face.

"You think your big brother can help you?" The laughter was gone in seconds, replaced with a harsh snarl. "You tell him anything and...well..." Daniel carried on twisting the arm until Edgar's face screwed up with pain.

"Stop it! God dammit, stop!" He was going to break his wrist. It was going to snap. Havers held the arm in a tight twist where he knew it would hurt but not break any bones.

"You tell anyone and Jake gets worse. You think this is bad? I'll make this look like a picnic in comparison." Edgar suddenly realised the real danger in this predicament. Havers had him trapped and he could do anything to him from this position. Anything. Edgar blanched at the connotations of this when he looked out the window to see the most delightful sight ever.

Sig was coming back. Oh thank god. He could see what Havers was doing and get rid of him before he killed Junior. Unfortunately, Daniel saw his relief and looked out the window too. Upon spotting Sig, he turned back to Edgar and twisted the wrist again with a firm movement. Edgar couldn't hold back a muffled yelp. He looked up to see Daniel's gaze darken and seconds later, a pointed elbow made a direct hit with his gut. Daniel let go of his wrists and took a step back, letting Edgar down to the floor. The deck boss curled himself up around his stomach, cradling his wrist as he did so.

"One word and he dies. And don't even get me started on what I'd do to you." Daniel whispered in Edgar's ear, leaning forward again. Then the deckhand stood up fully and went down the stairs, leaving Edgar on the floor, screaming silently over his predicament. He was being blackmailed by psycho who he had to work with for the next few weeks. Maybe even next season. Edgar hissed as he lifted his beaten arm. The crescent shaped nail prints had punctured the pale skin, leaving Edgar bleeding. His wrist didn't bear thinking about.

"Edgar?" Sig stood in front of him. Shit. He hadn't heard him coming up the stairs. Edgar contemplated telling Sig what had happened before he spotted Daniel just over Sig's shoulder, looking mock concerned. For an instant, Havers' eyes darkened with malicious intent. He didn't have to wonder what that meant. _Don't breathe a word._

"I'm fine. Just fell over and hit my chest." The youngest Hansen offered his brother a gentle smile. Sig bit his lip and noticed Edgar cradling his arm.

"Here let me see that." Sig went to grab Edgar's abused wrist but the deck boss just pulled it from his reach.

"No! No, i-it's fine. Just a bit...achy...that's all, nothing to worry about." Edgar pulled himself up and gave Sig a mock salute before turning to go down the stairs. He didn't miss the way Sig's eyes narrowed when Edgar refused to show him his wrist.

And he definitely didn't miss the not-so-gentle shove Havers gave him down the stairs either.

...

**Urgh, sorry guys, but writer's block is a total biatch. That and exams as well as work is EATING. UP. MY. LIFE. So yeah...**

**About this chapter, I don't know what to say about it really...It's kinda dark but I really needed a chapter like this to show the beginning of the conflict as well as to portray the fact that Havers is INSANE. I mean, which dark recess in the pits of my brain did he come from?**

**So yeah, reviews are like diamonds; precious and treasured. **

"**Stupidity is like a younger sibling. It stands out small then grows and grows and before long, it's following you about everywhere."**

**Elli x**


	3. Junior

Jake was worried about Edgar. He had been locked in the bathroom all day since the Northwestern had set off. This wasn't too unusual as Edgar suffered from bouts of sea sickness at the beginning of each season. Havers had commented on this, sneering that "shouldn't the 'deck boss' be experienced enough to get over a little nausea?" but no one had listened to him. He was the greenhorn here and Edgar was the veteran and besides, everyone else knew that after Edgar had got it out of his system, he'd be fine for the rest of the season. But what had worried Jake was the state of Edgar's hand. The left wrist had been cut into with tiny crescent moon edges and his forearm was covered in thick purple bruises. The deck boss hadn't explained the injuries away very well, just saying that he had fallen in the wheel house. The young deckhand didn't believe Edgar's story for a second. Jake doubted anyone else believed it too but everyone left the issue as no one really liked to mess with the youngest Hansen when he was ill. When Edgar was puking like this, Sig was on high alert. He didn't like knowing taht Edgar was hurting and that he couldn't do anything to fix it so he picked on whoever was stupid enough to try and bother Edgar at this point in time. One really brave (or stupid) camera guy had tried to film the deck boss when he was feeling sea sick and Sig had found out. When he had realised what the guy was doing, he had laid into him and threatened to toss him over the side in a pot as bait. As it was very likely that the captain was being completely serious, the camera crew had learnt to stay out of Edgar's way when he was ill. But Edgar had been in there the whole day. Usually it was an hour, two at the most but this was excessive. Jake squared his shoulders and decided to confront the deck boss even if he had to face Hurricane Sig afterwards. The wellbeing of his friend was more important that an extremely pissy relative. Even if said pissy relative was his source of income.

"Edgar? You in there?" The young deckhand called to the locked bathroom door. He knew Edgar was in there but it did no good to badger the deck boss before he want to speak. He waited two minutes before he got a reply.

"What do you want from me?" Edgar whined, voice uncharacteristically rougher than usual. Jake winced at the sound. It sounded painful as hell and he could practically feel Sig stirring in anger at the sound.

"I want to know how you're feeling, Ed. You've been in there all day." Jake pleaded, seeing Sig standing in the corner from the edge of his vision. Jake mused that he must have come down becuase of the same reason Jake himself had. Those injuries and the amount of time Edgar had hidden himself away for. He didn't look angry as such (much to Jake's relief), just curious. Edgar slowly unlocked the bathroom door and peered around. Jake blinked at the sight of the deck boss and he could hear Sig hiss between his teeth as he took a sharp intake of air behind him. Edgar looked as if he had caught pneumonia and was just recovering. Pale, trembling, tired and ill were all words to describe Edgar at the moment but what really caught Jake's attention was Edgar's injuries. Showing up a vivid purple against his pale skin, the deck boss' left arm looked horrifically mangled. The tiny deep incisions had scabbed over but in a fit of sickness, Edgar had clawed at his arms, ripping the scabs off and as a result, blood had slowly streamed down his wrist. The youngest Hansen knocked his head against the door frame, breatheing deeply through his mouth, eyes screwed shut. Edgar looked as if he was ready to drop right there and then when Sig grabbed his younger brother and guided him over to a seat. Edgar hissed as his big brother grabbed the damaged appendage but allowed him to look over the injuries. He was too tired to fight the captain right now anyway.

"Edgar...how...how did this happen?" Sig asked, horror evident in his voice. Jake realised why. The thick bruises that encircled Edgar's wrist were shaped exactly like fingers. Someone had hurt Sig's baby brother. Jake looked at his captain. Waves of anger and pain flew off of Sig as he tried to coax an answer out of Edgar. Edgar looked around tiredly before he noticed Daniel Havers standing by the wheel house door. The deck boss caught Havers' eye and shuddered under the dark glare.

"Ed? Are you cold?" Sig asked, concern filling his voice as he watched his little brother shake. Edgar didn't answer. Instead, he watched as Havers' gaze shifted to Jake. Jake who was currently worried about Edgar. Jake who would be tortured if Edgar told his big brother what had really happened to him in the wheel house last night. Edgar's eyes widened as he caught Havers playing with his knife while keeping Edgar's gaze. The deck boss almsot blurted out the name of his attacker but froze as Daniel leapt forward silently until he was just behind Jake whilst still being out of Sig's line of vision. There he let the knife dangle from his finger tips. He had the knife positioned over Jake's torso. Edgar gulped and looked away.

"Someone at the dock...after I left the bar some guy grabbed my arm. Must have been stronger than he thought." Edgar cast his eyes to the floor. He was between a rock and a hard place and he didn't like it one bit. Sig narrowed his eyes and looked at Edgar's expression. The deck boss was hiding something from his big brother and his big brother didn't like it. Sig didn't have much time to question Edgar before the youngest Hansen made a face and then made a beeline for the bathroom again. Sig winced at the sound of dry heaving and spluttering. He felt the boat roll with the swell and winced in pity. He had never been sea sick himself but he knew that it was a hellish experience from Edgar's explanations. Edgar's heaving finally stopped and he let his tired body sit on the floor, arms still sitting on the toilet. Sig watched his youngest brother hiss in pain as he manoeuvred his battered arm into a more comfortable position. Sig knew that Edgar didn't want an audience right now so he told Jake and Havers to clear off while he talked to Edgar alone. He lifted the ill deckhand up into a sitting position before grabbing hold of his face. Edgar looked at Sig, eyes glazed and face pale.

"I know that's not what happened to your arm. Why can't you tell me?"

"S'not important...don't really hurt either..."

"Bull. I know that hurts. I saw it in your fucking eyes. And it is important, Ed. You got hurt...someone hurt you and I can't let that happen to you..." Sig tailed off, voice filled with worry. Edgar had gotten hurt and he wasn't telling his older brother why. It felt wrong. Sig had promised his father he would always look after Edgar and Norman just after Edgar was born and damn, he wasn't going to break that promise now.

"No, not really...It was just an accident in the wheel house. I promise. I just fell and cut myself." Edgar's head drooped but he was only still for a few seconds before he flung himself forward again to spit up some bile. The youngest Hansen sighed as he sat back down. Sig searched his brother's face.

"That's a load of shit and we both know it. Right, I've got to go back upstairs. You're not going to die or anything if I leave you, are ya?" Sig half joked, voice soft as he watched his baby brother blink slowly. Edgar gave the captain a sarcastic look before replying.

"Well yes. I was planning on dying as soon as you left. I just cannot deal with you anymore, Sigurd." Edgar huffed; laughter filling his tired, rough voice, betraying the show of mock annoyance. Sig grinned in response and went to leave but as he reached the stairs, he froze and looked back at his baby brother as if to make defibitely sure he wasn't going to get hurt suddenly. Edgar rolled his dark brown eyes.

"Off you go, Sig. I was kidding. And stop looking at me like that. I'm fine. And don't even bother asking if I really am fine or I swear to god, I will go puke in your private bathroom." Sig scoffed at Edgar's attempt of sarcasm but was still worried about his little brother. Edgar turned his attention back to his unsettled stomach. Sig shot a gentle grin over in Edgar's direction before relieving Norman from the captain's chair. Norman turned to face Sig when he heard the heavy footsteps climbing the stairs.

"How's he doing?" Norman asked, voice quiet against the rain hammering on the windows.

"He looks like shit and I'm pretty sure he feels like shit too." Sig sighed and ran a hand through his tousled blonde hair. "He wouldn't tell me how he hurt his arm either. Shit, Norman, he looks like he was mauled. The bruises around his wrist...they, they're shaped like fingers." Sig winced inwardly at the fire that burned within Norman's expressive blue eyes. No one messed around with the youngest Hansen without incurring the wrath of his two older brothers. They would get that arsehole next time they were in Dutch Harbour, that was for sure.

"Well...if the injury happened at the dock last night then at least whilst he's here, he wouldn't be getting hurt." Norman mused. Sig nodded silently in agreement, leaning against the same wall Edgar had been pinned against less than twenty four hours ago.

Little did they know, more damage was being down just down stairs from them.

...

**That seems like a good place to end! Hmm...I don't know what to say about this chapter. It seemed to write itself but it felt kinda sticky to me. Didn't flow as well as it should have. Oh well, next chapter should be fun to write though!**

**Thanks to everyone (EVERYONE!) who reviewed! Every one of you individually brightened up my day and for that, I applaud you. :3**

**Saw this on the new episodes of DC the other day. Proof Edgar and Sig are definitely brothers.  
Sig: "DON'T CHIP IT!"  
Edgar: "I WOULDN'T!" *or something like that. I have bad hearing. ***

**Don't step on the ducks!  
Elli x**


	4. Confrontation

Edgar had been making fast friends with the porcelain god when a shadow was cast over him. The youngest Hansen was too busy concentrating on keeping his stomach contents in his stomach to look up so the weight that unloaded it's self on his shoulders was a total surprise. Being so weak currently, the deck boss just collapsed under the weight, hitting his chin off the floor roughly as he did so and making his legs fold uncomfortably underneath him. Edgar hissed as he bashed his left arm off of the tiled floor. He didn't need to look up to guess who was trying to mess with him this time.

"_Damn it, that fucking hurt. A hellava lot. What is wrong with this guy? Well one thing's for sure; __**someone **__obviously didn't get hugged enough as a child. Hell, forget this guy, what the hell is wrong with me? Why didn't Sig listen to me when I said he shouldn't hire this guy? Did I do something to make him not trust me? I wish he had listened. It'd save me a whole load of trouble if he did..." _

A chuckle awoke him from his mental complaining. Edgar tried to lift his head up to look at the dead weight sitting square on his chest but his head was pushed down by a rough grip. The deck boss' cheek was pressed against the tiles hard. Edgar winced at the pressure on his head. He thought the force was a bit excessive as it was obvious moving wasn't going to be something he was going to do very much of. Havers was built like a tank and weighed about the same. Edgar looked around to see the door shut and locked. He sighed. That was the one thing he was counting on. An escape route. A window of opportunity. Edgar had sort of guessed this was coming when Havers had spotted him talking to Sig and Jake. The madman had obviously jumped to conclusions and thought Edgar was telling his big brother what had happened. Even though the deck boss hadn't told, Daniel was still angry at him for almost giving it away. And now, the youngest Hansen was going to pay for it.

"You little bitch. You were going to tell him, weren't you?" The deranged deckhand hissed in Edgar's ear, his knee pushing into the deck boss' back. The dark haired Hansen squirmed under the restricting weight to try and get some air. But then Havers did something that instantly stopped all of Edgar's efforts of escape. He grabbed the deck boss' injured arm and gripped it tightly. Edgar felt as if his arm had been set alight. The pain that radiated through his limb was excruciating. Havers watched with glee as his fellow deckhand's face screwed up in pain. Edgar had no air to scream with but that was the beauty of it in Daniel's mind. He was in such agony and his brothers were just a few metres away. Edgar was hurting and he couldn't get their attention so that they could save him.

"It's funny, isn't it. Sig and Norman are just a few feet away, probably discussing you and how you're worrying them. And you can't do a thing about it. Can you?" Havers told the other deckhand with a sugary sweet voice, dripping with menace. When Edgar didn't respond, Havers growled and pushed down on Edgar's arm harder.

"Can you?" The hardened deck boss couldn't help but let out a few tears then. He felt like dying. He just wanted to die right there. The pain was almost unbearable. But then, thankfully, the grip on his arm disappeared. Edgar's ragged breathing was the only sound in the small bathroom before a dark laugh filled the tiny space.

"Awe... is the little baby crying? Can't he take a little pain? Or is he still just a daddy's boy?" The last phrase was hissed darkly and Edgar saw Havers' eyes flash. The deck boss was pulled back to an argument he had had with someone who claimed he was only on the boat because he was "daddy's little boy". Norman had heard and lived up to his nickname of "Sling blade" but the impact of the words really did hurt Edgar. Was he just on the boat as some sort of family tradition, not because he had earned the place? Edgar didn't have much time to dwell on these thoughts before a sharp kick to the ribs ended his train of thought. The dead weight sitting on his back was gone but it wasn't too much of a relief. Havers could do a lot more damage standing up. Edgar curled himself up into a ball in the hope that this position might deflect some of the damage.

"Everyone noticed your injuries, didn't they? So this time, we better not leave marks where they will be seen, hmm?" Havers talked to Edgar quietly, sounding as if he was merely discussing the weather. A swift kick to the stomach caused Edgar to gasp suddenly. He didn't like this feeling of helplessness. Usually he could fight back but he was caught in a state in which he terribly unable to. Usually he could get even or he had back up in the form of his crew. Here he was helpless and on his own. What really knocked the deck boss out for six was the reality of the attack. When he was younger and he fought with his brothers, he knew it wasn't real fighting. It was play fighting, a game. Even when he was older and when his two older (meaner) brothers ganged up on him, he still knew it was a game. This wasn't. This was real, very real. And it was frightening.

The youngest Hansen had blocked out everything completely at one point and came back to reality when Havers was finished kicking his prone body. Edgar's head lolled as he looked up at the deranged man. Havers was panting harshly as he looked down at the injured deck boss. Daniel smiled at Edgar's prone body. He wasn't going to be bossing him around anytime soon. Havers smirked and left Edgar in the bathroom alone again. The hardened deck boss lay on the tile floor for a few minutes, trying to find the strength to pick himself up. He went to stand but had to lay back down because of the flurry of pain that darted up his side. Edgar screwed his face up tightly before trying to stand again. This time he fought the urge to yell out in pain and stood up. His chest felt like it was burned from the inside out but at least he could function. Sort of. He could stand at least. The youngest Hansen ran his hand over his face tiredly. This could not carry on. He had to tell Sig and Norman. He had to tell someone before Havers went too far. Before he attacked someone else. Jake. Edgar felt his heart constrict at the thought. He couldn't bear it if he allowed Junior to be harmed. Jake had become one of his best friends and damn it, Jake had turned into his little brother basically. The deck boss felt a cold weight settle in his stomach at the thought of Jake being harmed. Edgar gave a lopsided smile at the thought.

"Is this the same feeling Sig and Norm get when I get hurt? Cos if it is, Jesus, I would have killed me by now." Edgar chuckled to himself, wincing gently as he did so. Edgar pulled a face and decided it was time for him to tell. As he walked out of the bathroom, he froze with shock.

Daniel had shoved Jake up against the wall and currently had him cornered. Havers was snarling into the younger man's face.

"Think you're so great? Think you're safe here? Well, you're wrong! You're so wrong, it's funny!" Jake's baby face was laced with pain and shock. When he caught sight of Edgar, he beamed at the deck boss, appealing for help in his blue eyes.

"Oh Jakers..." Edgar whispered. The kid obviously thought he could save him. Well, no one could ever say Edgar Hansen would give up.

"Hey! Let go of him!" Edgar yelled, knowing he could get someone else attention to try and help Jake. Havers turned and was surprised to see Edgar standing before him defiantly.

"I thought you were still on the bathroom floor, mutt. Decided to try and help the kid?" Havers moved to punch Edgar deep in the gut. Right where the largest mass of bruises and pain from the beating resided. The punch floored the youngest Hansen, pain radiating through his chest. He collapsed to the floor with a pained gasp as Jake watched unable to do anything. Havers still had a grip on his hoodie and was pressing him into the wall.

"ED! Oh god, EDGAR!" Jake yelled, fear dancing in his baby blue eyes. A commotion was heard upstairs and Sig suddenly appeared in the galley, blue eyes flaming as he took in the scene. Havers had Jake against the wall whilst he looked at Edgar in what appeared to be shock. Jake was struggling to get to the fallen man but Havers kept him back. Edgar...and Edgar was curled up in a ball on the floor, tears streaming from his face as he wrapped his arms around his stomach. Norman came down behind Sig and stared. Edgar...Edgar was _crying. _As a rule, none of the Hansens cried. Ever. Well, maybe a bit when something terrible has happened but never like this. Jake froze for a second when he spotted the trails covering his best friend's face but then his desperate stuggles increased tenfold. Matt had appeared at one point and was trying to remove Havers from the problem. Norman had shot up stairs when he realised no one was up in the wheel house. He would talk to Edgar later anyway and it was better to let the oldest Hansen brother do his damage control thing without too much interferance. Sig was on his knees, pulling Edgar to his chest in the vain hope of protection. After Edgar had stiffled his sobs into Sig's shirt, the captain looked up, eyes blazing a white hot glare.

"What. Happened. Here?" The captain asked darkly, eyes trained on Jake and Havers. Jake let out a shaky breath. This guy was crazy. Edgar was hurt. Sig was pissed and Norman was going to be detonating. The season was shaping up to be rather interesting so far.

...

**Yay! Next chapter done and dusted! I am fair going through these right now which is always good. This one felt a bit...iffy really, hopefully the next one will feel a bit more fluid. I'm basing the family relationships from my own siblings. So yeah, that feeling Edgar described in the pit of his stomach? Been on the receiving end of that a lot being the oldest and it SUCKS. **

**If anyone has any ideas for this story (or any story), just PM me! Really, I'm not too scary!**

"**That was not text. That looked as if you had a fit whilst texting me."**

**Elli x**


	5. Actors

Sig was in the wheel house, his little brother asleep in the co-captains chair, knees curled up to his chest. Sig could still make out a few of the tear tracks that ran down his little brother's face. As far as the captain could see, the reason for Edgar's pain and suffering was the mass of bruises spanning his chest. It must have been absolute _agony _for the tough deck boss to cry even in his sea sick weakened state. Sig ran his hand through his messy blonde locks. How? That was all Sig wanted to know. How did this happen? How did no one notice? How did Sig not see the pain? Sig let out a dry chuckle. That was the question wasn't it? How did Sig not see this happening? This...deep suffering. Sig was still in deep thought when Jake appeared, as silent as a cat. Sig gave no indication he had seen the deckhand. He still was rather angry with Jake and with Havers. He didn't know who had a part in the incident but he was still angry none the less. Jake crept around to the deck boss, eyes wide as saucers. He wiped the tear trails away delicately as if Edgar was going to break into splinters. Jake stared at Edgar's face as if trying to get the answers he desperately craved. The same answers Sig needed.

"I'm sorry." Jake whispered, leaning back onto the paneling in front of Edgar's chair. Sig turned as if to shout at him when he froze. The expression on Jake's face made him stop. Jake looked up at Sig, eyes dark and sad.

"I'm sorry I didn't see this before." Jake carried on. Sig smiled sadly.

"So am I, Junior. So am I." With that, Sig turned to look out on the swelling Bering Sea. The waves dashed across the bow of the Northwestern, spraying the window with water droplets.

"What are we going to do with him, Sig?" Jake asked, leaning back. Sig gave him a questioning look.

"Well, you know as well as I do he can't go out on deck like this. He's been beaten to shit! But only god can stop him going out if he puts his mind to it and even then god will have to put up one hell of a fight." Jake told the captain, looking older than usual. But Sig knew where he was coming from and agreed with the youngest deckhand. Edgar was stubborn, almost stupidly stubborn and if he wanted to do something, he was going to do it, to hell with the consequences. And right now, the consequences would be dire. Sig didn't even dwell on the possibilities.

"Well, there's that. And then there's the lead up to this. What the hell happened downstairs?" Sig asked, voice leaving no room for any avoidance. Jake frowned, thinking.

"I don't...really know what happened..."

"Why the hell don't you know what happened? You were there!" Sig interjected, eyes bright with repressed anger. He was pissed. With himself, with Jake, with Havers, hell, even a little pissed at Edgar. But mostly at his baby brother's attacker. How dare he? How dare someone attack Sig's responsibility, his younger brother?

"Well, I mean, I was just coming in from the deck, I got my gear off and Daniel grabbed me and shoved me against the wall, lifting me by my neck! He was yelling some stuff but I wasn't listening. I was shitting it cos, well, Havers is a big guy and he was _**pissed**_. And then Edgar came out of the bathroom, you know, after puking, and I was like "thank god" because Daniel was really freaking me out, shouting into my face like that. Then Ed tried to get him off of me. Then Havers pushed him, pushed his chest and then he went down like a ton of bricks. Scared the crap out of me." Jake finished, eyes downcast in thought.

"I better talk to Havers then. God, the greenhorn can't get away with stuff like this. Jesus, junior. You must've been doing a crap job of hazing with Edgar out of action. We break down the spirit first, right?" Sig teased, tired of the serious atmosphere ingulfing the boat. Jake grinned back.

"Oh, right. And it's no far comparing me to Edgar in terms of breaking spirits. He destroyed my spirit with minimal effort and a decently long shift at the bait station with him hanging over my shoulder. He is the master. He could enter America's Got Talent with those ego smashing skills. Although I'm pretty sure that they judge on looks..." Jake laughed. He wasn't too preoccupied to see Edgar pretending to be asleep. He also couldn't ignore the sharp kick to his shin as he uttered his last statement. Jake broke into a laugh as he hopped on one foot, grasping his abused shin.

"You saying something about my face, Jakers? Cos after I'm done with you, you wouldn't really have much to write home about yourself." Edgar grumbled good naturately, streching out his limbs from his curled position. The deck boss winced as his joints popped loudly and, as he pulled his stomach muscles streching, he gave out a low hiss underneath his breath. Sig winced at the noise and fought the urge to shout at Edgar, to tell him to stop it before he did any more damage to himself. Luckily, he didn't need to as Jake was there to give the deck boss a glare which stopped him dead.

"...Problem?" Edgar asked, pulling a frown.

"Well, yeah, I got beat up and didn't tell anyone else on the crew. Oh wait...that wasn't me, that was you!" Jake said, sarcasm lacing his voice.

"Laying it on a bit thick there, aren't ya?"

"Well, Edgar, you shouldn't have done that. You should have told someone about the extent of your injuries." Sig, always the voice of reason, soothed as Jake simmered angrily. "You gave Jake a scare when you went down and myself too. Seriously, I think you took a few more years off my life. We'll be adding that to your tally." Sig joked, desperate to shake off the younger deckhand's scared anger. Jake was pissed but also worried. And that was one of the worst ways to be on a crab boat before the start of the season. Edgar fought a laugh and put on a smirk.

"Sig, if we were going by your tally, you would have been dead before I was born."

"Yep, that's why I treat each day as my last. And stop that." Sig scolded a fidgeting Edgar, who leapt up, startled.

"Ed, why...why didn't you say you had been hurt so bad? Jake pleaded, eyes melting into a molten blue.

"I didn't think it was that bad! Honest! And I was a bit too busy not choking on my own vomit to say that 'hey, my chest looks like I spray painted it'. I mean, give a guy a chance. Besides, you guys were busy with important stuff." Edgar answered, hands gesturing wildly as if that would get his point across any better. Jake didn't look impressed and Sig...Sig looked a bit sad.

"Ed, no matter what, you're more important than fishing. You hear me? If anything like this ever comes up again- which I hope it doesn"t. Stop getting punched around, little brother- I want to know. To hell with what I'm doing at the time, I want to know." Sig replies, voice calm and soothing.

For the first time since Havers had appeared in his life, Edgar felt as if he was safe and had Sig on his side.

...

He had been too obvious. He had gone too far too early. But now he had to lay off a while. Mind games. Mind games could be as bad as physical pain. And with the over hanging threat of pain, it would make those games taste so much sweeter. Daniel set his anger aside and pretended to be someone else.

He was an actor and this was his character.

And as all good actors do, he was going to live the part.

But that didn't mean he could have some fun along the way.

...

**Ohmigod! I am so sorry to anyone who was waiting for this story to update! Damn you, writer's block. As you can see, this chapter is rather sticky but I thought I better put it out or I would just sit here feeling oh so guilty. :3 Hope it wasn't too bad!**

**"Sheep. It's always the sheep."**

**Elli x**


	6. Twinges

Edgar whipped his rain gear off the hook and started to pull on the water resistant material. He was going out on deck with his crew despite Sig's complaints and Norman's threats of dragging him into the galley and locking him in Sig's stateroom. Which would be unpleasant for both parties. But Edgar was nothing if not stubborn and he was going out to work, god damn it. Havers wasn't allowed to win this stupid little game he was playing.

The youngest Hansen thanked for small mercies, at least he wasn't throwing up everywhere now. Thank God.

But he still kept looking over his shoulders. He hadn't seen head or tails of Havers all day and he was starting to worry. If he wasn't in plain sight, he couldn't be watched. If he couldn't be watched, he could be doing anything right now. The thought of that made the deck boss feel nauseous all over again. He shook his head and pulled the yellow jacket over his head gently, hissing as his bruises and ribs complained. Edgar rolled his shoulders as he stepped out onto the deck before he was given the shock of his life.

"Edgar!" Out of absolutely nowhere, Jake had appeared before him and did not look to happy. At. All.

"Hiya junior, hey! Wait! What are you doing?!" The deck boss asked, eyes wide as Jake pushed him back into the galley.

"You are hurt and Norman has instructed me not to let you out. Under any circumstances." Jake exclaimed, shoving his friend gently back into the galley. Edgar sighed a little. He had been waiting for Norman to drop his two cents into this. Sig was very forward with his opinion and had been lecturing like a madman. Norman prefered the more subtle approach, giving threats but not going on from there. Well, he would take any action. No, he was a bit more inventive and prefered to do something new. Like employing someone to be a guard dog.

Damn older brothers.

Damn them and their stupid complexes.

Edgar thought about struggling, escaping from junior and scaling the stack but then realised that if he did and got hurt, Jake would freak. Annoying since the stack idea was always one of his favourites especially as he knew the boat in, out and sideways. Instead the deck boss sighed and let the younger man push him into the galley. Edgar sighed heavily as a few painkillers were shoved under his nose and a pair of icy blue eyes stared at him.

"Don't need 'em." The deck boss growled out, eyes firmly fixed upon the two white pills that sat on Jake's palm.

"Humour me." The younger man replied, deadpan. The hand clutching the painkillers got closer to Edgar's face. Jake may not have been the brightest little munchkin in the world. But he knew pain and he knew when people were in pain. Edgar had been bracing himself against each swell subconciously, removing the pressure from his ribcage. The deck boss' flinched every time something or someone got a bit too close to his bruises.

Jake knew pain and Edgar was definitely suffering even if he was too damn stubborn to acknowledge it.

Edgar raised an eyebrow, pinched his lips together hard and shook his head. The youger deck hand sighed at his friend's childish behaviour before a swift movement took the pills away.

"You're doing it wrong, Junior." A gruff voice claimed as the oldest Hansen brother whipped the pills away from Jake and held Edgar's nose shut tight. The deck boss let out a surprised noise before holding his breath. Edgar looked up at his brother and glared. Sig chuckled.

"Ed, you know I can do this longer than you. You'll give in before I do." The younger brother obtained a steely look in his eye as if to say "challenge accepted". Edgar held his breath as Sig pinched his nose. Jake started to get a little worried when Edgar started to go an odd colour.

"Uh, Sig, I think that's enough..."

"He's fine, junior. He just turns into a massive drama queen everytime a drug is shoved anywhere near him." Sig commented lightly, as if discussing the weather. Edgar's puffed out cheeks were starting to deflate and he remained stubborn.

"But, Sig, he's going a really weird colour now. I don't think people naturally have that colour of skin tone."

"He's fine, trust me." Sig grinned as Edgar sucked in a large gulp of air. The captain chucked the two pills into his little brother's mouth and forced it shut tight. Edgar was obviously not happy, given how he was glaring and giving muffled threats. Jake bit back a grin as Edgar gave up, swallowed the damn pills, crossed his arms and pouted.

"Happy now?"

"Ecstatic." Sig replied swiftly, his blue eyes not leaving his brother's face. Edgar looked at the floor, giving the worn flooring a look as if he had found it tying his shoes laces together.

"Fantastic. Can I go work now?" Edgar asked, scowling. Sig pretended to think about it for a second.

"Not until your captain appointed medic says so."

"And who is this 'captain appointed medic'?" Edgar asked, fully in the knowledge that it could only be two people. But he was hoping, praying it wouldn't be...

"Norman."

Damn it.

Damn older brothers.

Damn them to hell.

"Norman wouldn't let me go on deck with a paper cut!" The youngest Hansen exclaimed, eyes wide. Sig turned to Edgar and shrugged.

"Not my problem. Besides, Norman volunteered. I couldn't say no to my little brother, could I?" The oldest Hansen brother bit back a chuckle as Edgar's face crumpled into a pout. He may have been acting the same but he knew his brother was hurting. Even if he was too dumb to realise it himself.

"But Sig!" Edgar pleaded, knowing by this point no matter what he did, he'd still not get his way. It might have worked when he ws younger but Sig always immune to whining. Probably after Norman was born, he'd learnt to ignore it.

Stupid big brothers.

Stupid captain.

Stupid sneaky completely **eeeeeeevil **deckhand his brother had hired.

It was all his fault anyways. Edgar frowned a little at this thought. Where was Havers anyway? He hadn't been in the galley earlier and he doubted he was on the deck. His raingear was still hanging up on the wall and as batshit crazy as the youngest Hansen felt this guy was, he doubted he would forgo the oil skins. As Jake left Edgar in the galley with the threat that he'd be watching to make sure he didn't leave, the deck boss was left on his lonesome.

Edgar sat still for about two seconds before giving up. This sucked. The youngest Hansen mused whether or not he should go pester Sig but decided against it. Bored he may be but he wasn't suicidal. Big brother Sigurd plus crabby fishing equals grouchy. And grouchy meant getting Norman to deal with him who would be all pissy about Edgar climbing the stairs with his bad ribs.

So there wasn't really anything to do.

Edgar made some coffee for himself (not making any for his big brother, of course. If he forced Edgar to do nothing all day, he could get his own damn coffee) and nabbed a biscuit.

He then played Snake on his mobile for a good few minutes before deciding to ram the thing into a wall. It wasn't as if he had anything else to do.

He duct taped Norman's bag closed and then stuck it to the wall for good measure. Petty yet satisfying.

He ran his finger over one of the dents in the table. Repeatedly.

Then he pulled out a big ass splinter he got from running his finger across one of the dents in the table repeatedly.

There was no other word for it. Edgar Hansen was bored. Exceptionally bored. And he still had no idea where Havers was skulking. Ah well. If he did appear, the deck boss had a splitter to protect himself with. That and an array of comebacks.

So technically, he was screwed over. Again.

Edgar sighed heavily, dropping his head to the table heavily. He was getting sick and tired of the odds consistantly not being in his favour.

...

Havers examined the small niche on the machine carefully. Who knew such an important piece would be so small? The deckhand dropped the tiny mechanism in his pocket before leaving the engine room. It would only be a matter of time before that _imbecile _would appear to repair the machine and then he would act.

Havers grinned. He may have gone a bit far with the physical games too early on but he had Edgar where he wanted him. And besides, mind games were also quite interesting to play when you had the right tools for the job.

**A/N: Hi again! I know I say this a whole lot but I am truly so for the delay. I am currently in the middle of a whole load of exams and have been revising like mad. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my stories!**

**Little Leaf: I told you begging worked! Hope you enjoyed this and a superdy duperdy big well done for your story Knots! (I don't think I've fangirled over it properly yet) It's amazing and deserves every ounce of love it gets. One day, I hope to have a story at that level. If I ever manage to keep to a proper uploading schedule... :)**

**Remember, when in doubt, keep calm and call Batman.**

**Elli x **


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